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A day after Maoist leader Kishenji alias Koteshwar Rao was suspected to be killed in an encounter in Jungalmahal area of West Bengal, his body was brought to a morgue in Jhargram where a post-mortem examination is likely to be conducted on Friday.

The police officials believe that in all probability the killed person was Kishenji, the third in command of the Maoists who was killed in a joint operation on Thursday.

Kishenji's family members have appealed to the government to hand over his body to perform his last rites. "Our request to the government is to hand over his body to us so that we can see him for the last time and perform last rites according to our traditions," said Kishenji's elder brother Anjaneyulu.

A CID team has taken his body samples for a DNA test as part of the process for identification of the slain Maoist leader. The police said that Kishenji's body would be kept for a couple of days for any of his relatives to come and identify and claim it.

Kishenji's niece Deepa and his long time associate Varavara Rao were on their way to Kolkata from Hyderabad to identify the body. Rao said on the encounter, "It's a big loss as he was one of the leaders who built the movement, working from the grassroots level."

The killing has raised a controversy with Kishenji's family and close associates claiming that the encounter was fake.